Site Navigation

Site Mobile Navigation

Fox Networks and Survival Sunday

No, Survival Sunday is not some nefarious scheme to help you endure the rigors of Mother’s Day in the United States.

It is, however, a 90-minute test of TV viewing endurance. Imagine having a seat in the TV truck or the control room, games splashed across an array of monitors.

On Sunday, all 10 games on the final day of the season in England’s Premier League will be available on American TV, including nine across an array of Fox networks — from FX to Speed. It is an unprecedented endeavor as the two Manchester teams, City and United, go down to the wire for the title, Everton and Newcastle United battle for a spot in Europe next season, and, at the bottom of the standings, Bolton Wanderers, Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa try to avoid relegation (Wolverhampton and Blackburn have already been relegated). The only game not on a Fox property will be Manchester City’s match against visiting Q.P.R., which will on ESPN2.

“This is a new high point for us,” Eric Shanks, the Fox Sports Media Group’s co-president and chief operating officer, said during a telephone conference call Thursday. “It’s a better experience than you can get in the U.K. and we may have a flood of tourists coming to the U.S. to see all the games this weekend. Ah, that was a joke.”

Fox, a unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, also holds the rights to the UEFA Champions League (and will carry the final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich from Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 19), in addition to the rights to the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus will also be the home next season of the Europa League, the continent’s second-tier club competition.

On Sunday, nine Premier League games, which are scheduled to kick off simultaneously at 10 a.m. Eastern, will be available on a Fox network. The opportunity to see the complete package is hostage to each individual’s cable package and the willingness of some regional sports channels to bump other programming (mostly infomercials). The only premium channels in the lineup are Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Soccer 2Go.

“Beyond the ability to show the games on our channels, it’s the right thing to do for viewers,” said David Nathanson, Fox Soccer’s executive vice president and general manager. “In the past, people who were a follower of a particular team, perhaps not the most popular, wouldn’t get to see many games. With the title up for grabs and teams risking relegation, these are some of most dramatic and interesting stories that are told the entire year. Our ability to showcase them is really unique.”

Fox’s FX channel will carry the Sunderland-Manchester United match and also offer viewers highlights of important goals in the other games. All the Fox channels will carry the same pregame (beginning at 9:30 a.m., Eastern) and halftime shows, hosted by Rob Stone with analysis from Eric Wynalda, Warren Barton and Rob Stone.

The top four finishers in the Premier League will pocket a potential $75 million payoff and qualify for next season’s Champions League. The fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-place teams at the end of the season earn spots in the Europa League. The bottom three teams will take a costly plunge (estimated as a $40 million hit) to the League Championship, one rung down from the Premier League.

What's Next

About

Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and provide analysis of games. There will be interviews with players, coaches and notable soccer fans, as well as a weekly blog column by Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Readers can discuss Major League Soccer, foreign leagues and other issues with fellow soccer fans.